Website development--fun???  Yes, I'm sure that you think that thought is weird.  Sometimes I think it is as well.  I have to say, though, that I really enjoy developing websites.  It's the content I have more of a problem with, especially my own.  What do I say?  Why should I say it?  I know that a website needs to be updated regularly, but what kind of updates?

However, I enjoy setting up websites, and posting other people's content.  I also like showing them how to post their content so that they can take ownership of it.  I get a "zing" out of creating websites.  Yes, sometimes it's tedious, especially when something isn't working correctly.  Sometimes it takes a lot of my time.  Sometimes I need a break.  However, if I'm taking a break from one, I usually tinker with another.  I guess it's an addiction.

I create websites using an Open Source Content Management System (CMS) called Joomla! 1.5, and a series of extensions made for Joomla! 1.5.  Some are quite easy to configure, and some can be quite challenging.  I have probably created ten different websites using Joomla! 1.5.   It allows me to put up complex websites up in a matter of weeks, and simple sites in a matter of days.  It was quite easy for me to learn.  Mind you, I already knew how to create websites prior to working with Joomla! 1.5, so it's not like I was a beginner by any means.  However, the learning curve isn't as bad as you may think, especially if you aren't looking for a complex site.  There are hundreds of tutorials all over the internet.  The Joomla! community also has a great forum for questions and problems.

Why did I choose Joomla! 1.5?  I can't really pin it down.  I tried a couple of open source CMS programs, just to see what they were.  Of the ones I tested, I preferred Joomla, and the support seemed good, so I went with that.  The rest is history. 

While I'm speaking of websites, I'll go ahead and list the ones I own:

Valerie's CleverEndeavour ~ a website about my faith, family, and passions
CleverCelts ~ right now it's just a demo site for me to test components and templates on
Entmoot Academy ~ a site devoted to homeschooling, with over 100 links to web resources categorized by subject
Wooden Celt Creations ~ my husband's Celtic woodworking site

Well, that's it for now.  In future posts, I will blog about my favorite extensions for the websites I develop.

I saw this tag on drewsfamilytx's blog, and thought I'd try it.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?  Playstation 2 "Dark Alliance

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad?  Ranch as long as there is no red cabbage in the salad

3. What's one food he doesn't like?  Sweet Potatoes

4. You go out to the bar. What does he order?  LOL, don't think he'd go to a bar, but he'd order water no lemon

5. Where did he go to high school? Hillcrest High School, SC

6. What size shoe does he wear?  11

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be?  Thor Comic Books and figurines

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Portabello Mushroom

9. What would he eat every day if he could?  salmon and cheese

10. What is his favorite cereal? Raisin Bran

11. What would he never wear?  Shorts

12. What is his favorite sports team?  Ummmm . . . he doesn't like sports

13. Who did he vote for?  Chuck Baldwin (Constitution Party)

14. Who is his best friend? I am, and maybe Bob.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do?  Crack my knuckles

16. How many states has he lived in?  One (SC)

17. What is his heritage? Scot/Irish/Dane.

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what would it be? Chocolate or Strawberry with whipped cream icing

19. Did he play sports in high school? Cross Country Track

20. What could he spend hours doing? Playing Playstation or working in his shop

21. What's something cool about him? He's a very creative and talented artist, and he loves his family very much.  He loves to pray, and he loves the LORD.

Let me know if you use this tag, so that I can "meet" your hubby!

I would be a stay-at-home mom.  I would get up in the morning with my kids, fix breakfast, homeschool when the sun was up, do laundry, keep the house clean, sew, write, and design websites.  Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world, and that is not my lot in life.  Instead, I get up early and go into a job that I'm very thankful for in these times of uncertainty, come home, homeschool my children my share of the subjects (my husband homeschools art, history, and Bible), design websites, and plan for the next homeschool day.  Then I plop into bed a very exhausted mom, just to start it all up the next day.  I'm not complaining.  I have learned to be content in these trials, no matter what the desire of my heart is.  I know that one day I will have the desire of my heart, even if it is on the other side of this life.

Why do I not get to stay at home with my children?  Well, my husband is disabled.  The neurologist believe that he has a very sensitive nervous system.  Not much we can do but treat it.   Sometimes his legs just stop working, and sometimes he feels so much pain that he can't stand.  For times like those, he has a wheelchair, or he's flat in bed trying to cope.  It affects his legs, his digestive system, and his joints.  Sometimes he does great, and can get a lot of things done in his shop (he's a woodworker), at other times he's bedridden.  Makes it difficult for him to get a job, and keep it, or to build up his home-based business.

Why am I telling you all of this?  I don't know.  It's not from feeling guilty.  I know that this is exactly where God wants me at this moment.  Maybe it's to give an answer those who do not understand, but do not ask.  Perhaps I just wanted to reflect on it.  Perhaps I want prayer for it.  A prayer that God will heal Gregg, or to prosper Gregg's business.  A prayer that I will continue to remember that God has placed me on this path, and that he could move me to another if He chooses.  Not my will, but God's alone.

I don't know if it's because I have been sitting at a computer for way too long, or what, but the colors of this website are bothering my eyes.  Would you please let me know whether the colors against the transparent background look okay?  Should I make the columns less transparent?  It may be because I experienced some great eyestrain yesterday, and I'm not completely over it.  When I designed it a few days back, it didn't bother me.

"If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down.  But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good."
~ Thomas J. Watson, Jr. (1914-1993)
US Army B-24 Pilot (WW II), CEO of IBM 1956-1971, US Ambasador to the USSR 1979-1981.

I've been talking about it for months, so I finally gave my blog a facelift.   It matches my website theme with some slight changes.  I also redid my splash graphic.  I think I'm going to add some leaves to my ent, but that will be tricky, so I'll have to do it later.  Arianna was glad that I kept at least one ent, considering it's our school mascot.   So, what do you think?